State of Grace
by bellamyyoung
Summary: Find out what happens three weeks after the final scene of the third season. No Frozen characters. Rated T for now (:
1. Cold As You

It had been three weeks. Three weeks since she used the last bit of magic she could muster up from all of her heartbreak and agony. Three weeks since they went back to the Enchanted Forest as a sweet little family that could not be broken up no matter how hard fate, destiny, or anyone else tried. Three weeks since she had begun receiving countless phone calls, texts, flowers, and cards from the person who destroyed her life. Three weeks since he left.

But today... today was a new day. Today was not the same as the past few weeks had been. How could it be? Today was even more heartbreaking. More tragic. Lonelier. Today was so much worse than anything the past month had brought Regina Mills.

The queen paced back and forth as tears rolled down her rosy cheeks. She could not believe the news she had just received, and she knew in that moment that the world would never be the same. She would never be the same. She stopped mid-step to look down at her desk. There, a picture of her son Henry sat, and she picked it up.

Poor Regina hadn't seen the boy since her life had been terminally disrupted. Okay, maybe that was a bit drastic. After all, it was just her love life that had really been turned upside down, but apart from that and her son, what else did the woman have?

She needed to see her son, because she felt as though she couldn't breathe without him any longer. She would never send him to camp or away to boarding school because of the selfish reason that she was too lonely without him. She had never felt so damn alone than she had in the past few weeks.

She remembered how it all went down. Marian came back, Robin grabbed ahold of her and vowed to never let her go again. And when he found out that Regina had killed her, or had tried, really, since Zelena's spell undid time, well... that was the end for the outlaw and the queen. Marian got her son and her husband back, and Robin asked (okay, so he demanded) that Regina send them back to the Enchanted Forest.

"If you ever loved me at all, you'll do this for me and my family," he seethed at her angrily. He had to keep his cool in front of the guests at Granny's Diner, but if he had her alone, Regina couldn't be sure what he would've done.

So, she did.

No good deed goes unpunished, though, because she had to enlist Rumplestiltskin's help to create a portal back to the forest. To watch Robin leave broke Regina's heart, but to watch him go, knowing that he would never be back for her, knowing that he would never love her again, knowing that she would never see that little boy of his again... it nearly killed her.

She spent the next few weeks in bed, self-wallowing and moping, only eating when her body absolutely could not take anymore hunger, only getting up to use the rest room or make it darker during the daytime. She got up for the doorbell a few times, too, but when she realized who the flowers were from, she stopped answering. She'd read the first card and screamed so loud that she was sure it could've been heard at the clock tower, if she cared at all to know, that was.

She even checked her phone, praying for a message from Robin, although she knew it was impossible. Instead, she got messages from the person who deceived her.

Regina wanted to beg Robin for forgiveness, for love, for anything... but instead she let him go without a fight. That was how she knew she was done with revenge. She was done being the evil queen she once was, and instead, become a better mother to Henry, a better mayor to Storybrooke, and a better person in general.

But before she could do any of that, though, she got the news that day, and her phone buzzed again.

She looked down and noticed who the message was from and just shook her head as tears came down faster. Regina suddenly heard a noise behind her and before she could react, she heard, "Regina, please, just listen to me. I had no idea that the woman we saved was his wife! How could I have known? I need you to listen for-"

Emma Swan noticed something in Regina's hand and said, "What's that?"

"It's nothing," Regina said quietly, absolutely broken, hiding her hands behind her back.

"That's not nothing..." she paused for a moment, remembering what she had seen before it promptly left her sight. "Oh, my God. Regina, are you pregnant?"


	2. Never Grow Up

"Ms. Swan, I need to see my son."

Looking carefully at the mayor, the blonde shook her head. "Did you hear me? Are you... are you pregnant?" she asked, waiting for a response. She didn't get one, and had a minor panic attack. "Jesus Regina! Answer me!"

Regina just handed her the stick in her hand, and had to lean against her desk. She couldn't handle the weight of the world anymore. Her feet were too tired, and as for the rest of her body, it was too weak. She hadn't slept, she hadn't eaten, she felt sick to her stomach... the list could go on, but before either of the women could even form their next thought, Regina turned to the trash can and threw up.

"Oh..." Emma said sympathetically, as she went to move Regina's hair out of her face.

"Don't touch me!" Regina screamed, before wiping her mouth.

"I just wanted to-"

"No! No!" the brunette interrupted. "You did this! You ruined my life! I don't want you anywhere near me!"

"I apologized."

"Oh, you apologized? You called? Texted? Sent some flowers and few lousy cards? No, Emma, you did this to me! I am alone and it is your fault!"

"My fault?" Emma's blue eyes widened. "Maybe if you hadn't been so hell-bent on revenge against my parents, you wouldn't have killed that poor woman in the first place! Maybe then Hook and I wouldn't have been sent back in time, having no choice but to save her from your evil wrath! Maybe Robin wouldn't have left your sorry ass because you tried to kill his wife-"

Before she could continue with her tirade, she felt a sharp pain against her face. Regina had slapped her! But before she thought about hitting her back, she remembered that she was with child now.

"You are so lucky you're pregnant, you crazy bitch!" Emma told her, holding her cheek with one hand, sending Regina a glare that could start a fire.

"So lucky," Regina mumbled before she finally lost it. She just cried, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.

Ultimately knowing it was her fault, Emma coddled her close, even though Regina protested by trying to push her away. She needed to be comforted. She needed someone to hush her and let her know it was going to be okay. Emma honestly did not think it would be okay anytime soon, but she told her it would be anyway.

"Mom?"

Both women looked up, and as Regina tried to get out of Emma's arms, Emma let her go.

"Henry, honey..." Regina wiped her eyes and tried to gain control of herself before she walked over to her son and hugged him tightly.

"Mom, what's going on?"

"Nothing, sweetheart. Nothing. I'm just... missing Robin."

Henry nodded, but noticed something on the desk near Emma. He walked over and picked it up. "Is this...?" his voice trailed off, realizing it had to be either Emma's or Regina's, and with the way they were acting, he had a pretty good idea that it wasn't the blonde's.

"Henry, maybe you should sit down," Emma said, walking him to the couch. "Let your mom explain."

"Mom? He... Robin got you pregnant?" he asked as innocently as he could.

A pain in her chest made her want to cry again, but Regina stood strong. "Yeah, baby, I'm pregnant. You're going to be a big brother," she laughed a little as tears stung her eyes.

"But he left."

That was the realization that Regina knew was coming, but wasn't quite prepared for. Tears slipped out of her eyes, and she nodded. "He did, but I've been a single mom before. Look how you turned out," she gave him the first genuine smile she could muster, and took his hand. "But I want you to know right now, Henry, that this baby could never replace you or the love I have for you. You are my son, and just because I'm going to be a mother again doesn't mean that I will love you any less. You're my world, baby."

Henry smiled. "I know, Mom. And I love you, too. Sorry I followed you here," he said, looking to Emma. "I missed her, though," he explained, looking back at Regina with a small smile.

"It's fine," the women said in unison, before looking at each other for a split second.

"Your mother should probably be leaving now, but if you want to, you can stay. We'll go home and have dinner and watch a movie?" Regina offered, giving a look to Emma that told her she had done enough for her.

"Regina's right," Emma said, standing up from the couch. "I need to get back to Mary Margaret and David, but if you wanna stay here for a few days, or weeks, or whatever, that's fine. You know where I live," she smiled down at her son.

"Yeah, that sounds good. I needed some more clothes and stuff anyway," he shrugged, getting up. "Let's go home."


	3. Best Day

Movies, food, and relaxing together. That's what Regina and Henry's lives were like for the next few weeks. Regina, with a little help from her son, got her appetite back, not only for food, but for life. She was going to be a better mayor. She was going to be a better mother. She was going to be a better person.

"Henry!" Regina called up the stairs. Today was the first day she had fully gotten dressed. She had on matching clothes, matching shoes, and even had a touch of make-up on. She was going to get better, no matter how brokenhearted she thought she was. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, Mom!" the twelve year old yelled back down to her, as he got his shoes on.

Regina waited for him to come down the stairs and before she saw him, the doorbell rang. "C'mon, honey!" she yelled again before going to answer the door. They were already late, but she was the mayor, and this was part of the job.

"Miss Swan," she said, opening the door. The betrayal she felt intensified every time she saw Emma, which wasn't often, but it made her chest heavy. "I didn't expect you here this morning."

"I just came by to see how Henry is doing; I haven't seen him in a few weeks."

"I know. But we're actually late for an appointment," she said, as Henry met up with the women in the entrance way.

"Hey, Mom," Henry smiled, moving to give Emma a hug.

"Hey kid," Emma smiled.

"Mom, can't Emma come with us today? You said you wanted to try to forgive her, and don't you think this is the perfect opportunity? We can all spend the day together," Henry pleaded. He had missed his biological mother, but he didn't want to leave Regina all alone today.

"Henry-"

"I'll leave you two to talk about it; I'll be in the car!"

The two women stood awkwardly together as they watched their son run off toward Regina's car.

"If it makes it easier, I have somewhere to be, too," Emma said, before stepping out of the door frame and onto the front step.

"Wait," Regina said quickly, before Emma turned around. "You do have somewhere to be, and that is with Henry and me. We have an appointment in twenty minutes, and," she nearly bit her tongue. "I would like you to join us. You can keep Henry company, we can grab a late lunch... it'll be nice."

"Uhm, okay, I guess that would be... fun," she nodded. "Sure. Let's get going so you don't miss the appointment," Emma suggested, ushering Regina out the door.

Once they made it to the hospital, Regina checked in, and the trio sat down to wait. What Henry hadn't told his mother was that the appointment was Regina's first sonogram, but Emma thought it was a check up for their son.

"Regina Mills," someone called out, as Regina got up.

"Mom-"

"Wait with your mother, Henry. They have to do a check up and then they'll let you come back, okay?"

He nodded, excitedly.

Regina followed the woman in scrubs back, while Emma looked at Henry.

"I didn't know this appointment was for Regina," she said, looking at him as if he had some explaining to do.

"I didn't know if she wanted me to say anything."

"But you invited me along... why?"

"Just thought it would be nice for you two to spend some time with me. I never get to have my two moms together, and since my dad is dead now..."

"You did not just play that card!" Emma said, looking at the boy who was obviously and rightfully sad about Neil's passing, but was smirking at his mother's remark.

"What?"

"You know what. I don't have any right to be here, Henry. You shouldn't have invited me. I am to blame for your mom being here alone!"

"So make it up to her! Be here for her! Try to get along," Henry suggested, as though it were obvious what Emma needed to do. "For as much as I love hanging out with mom all the time, it'd be nice to see you, too. Plus, when the baby comes, she's gonna need our help."

"Henry, I don't know the first thing about babies! I gave you up for adoption!"

"I know." Henry noted, looking at his mother for a second. "You also have been helping out with baby Neil and everyone says you're doing such a good job. You're a natural, Mom. Why are you so afraid of Regina?"

"I'm not afraid of Regina, I just... I feel guilty, okay? She's alone because of me, and honestly I don't know if she's gonna be okay. That's my fault. And for her to blame me makes perfect sense. I don't understand why she's being so nice. Maybe this is her way of luring me into a trap."

"She's changed. My mom has changed. Can't you see that? You always said you could tell if someone was lying. Do you really think she's lying? Why would she want you here today just to hurt you later on."

Emma thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. I-I'm sorry, Henry. I know you believe she's changed, and I really hope she has. I just don't want to be caught in the cross fires of Regina's wrath. Not again."

"Fine. Maybe you should just leave then," Henry shrugged, looking away. He knew that he was acting like a bratty pre-teen, but he had a point here.

"Henry-"

"Are you with the mayor?" a nurse came over to the duo before Emma could finish her sentence.

Henry nodded, "I am."

Reluctantly, Emma said, "I am, too."

"She's expecting you. Follow me, please?"


	4. Mine

When the blonde and her son got back into Regina's room, she was laying on the gurney with her swollen belly exposed. She smiled at them and motioned for Henry to go to her.

"Thank you," Emma said to the woman who walked them back, while Henry went to Regina's side.

"How's my baby brother?"

"Or sister," Regina reminded him, tousling his hair with a smile.

"Either way... how is the baby?"

Regina smiled. "Perfect. The check up went fine, and we will get to see the baby momentarily."

"Regina, if you want, I can leave the room," Emma offered, feeling a little chilly all of a sudden. Last time she'd been near a sonogram was when she was pregnant with Henry. It made her feel uneasy. Not to mention, she didn't know if Regina was being one hundred percent truthful with her about her intentions, so she was ready to bolt.

"No, Miss Swan... Emma, I'd really like it if you'd stay. Tell me, did your mother find out the sex of the baby before she had your brother?"

Emma thought for a moment. "I don't think so, but if she did, she and David kept it a secret."

"Are you gonna find out?" Henry asked, with that adorable grin on his face.

"We'll see," she chuckled.

Henry then mentioned that he had to use the rest room, and left the two women alone. A moment of silence passed over them.

"What are you hoping for?" Emma asked, unable to handle the quiet any longer.

"A healthy baby."

Emma nodded at her, and said, "Luckily you've got one great kid... maybe you'll get really lucky and have another one."

"Oh, I think that's a very strong possibility," Regina smiled at the woman. She then cleared her throat. "Thank you for coming with Henry and I today. I knew he missed you."

"Well, can you blame him? I am the fun mom," she almost teased.

Regina rolled her eyes with a smile. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Another moment of silence.

"Regina?"

"Yes?"

Emma took a breath. "Do you hate me?"

"No."

"Okay, because if you do, I completely understand, but I can't stand not being a part of Henry's life. I always want to be there for him, and the thought of not you taking him away from me because I fucked up... I don't know, Regina, it just rips me apart."

Regina looked at her for a minute. She felt ripped up. But she was going to be a better person, wasn't she? Isn't that what she kept telling herself? "It was my fault Robin went back to Marian. I am to blame, not you," she finally said out loud. "I blamed you because I was so angry, and so upset, and yes, I know you saved her and brought her back, but if I hadn't tried to kill her in the first place..." she shook her head. "It's my fault. Not yours. And I'm sorry about hitting you. That was so wrong of me. You didn't deserve that, and my actions are unspeakable. And please believe me when I say, I won't keep Henry from you, as long as you don't try to keep him from me."

Emma wasn't expecting to hear that. She expected another fight between the two, but she was glad there wasn't one.

"I, uhm, thank you. I'm sorry for the part I played in this."

"Thank you."

"Maybe we could... maybe we could be friends? For Henry's sake? He brought up his father in the waiting room, and I just think it would be good for him to not have us at each other's throats all of the time. What do you say?"

Regina smiled. "Sure. I think that would be good for Henry... and for us."

Henry walked back in the room, and looked at the two women, who were surprisingly smiling at each other. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing," Emma told him, shaking her head with a grin.

"Miss Mills?" they all heard, before looking at the door. "I'm Doctor Carter. I'll be doing the ultra sound today."

"Great," Regina smiled, before the doctor got set up, and explained what she was going to do.

"I'll just put some gel on your belly and we'll start, okay?"

"That sounds wonderful."

When the wand was on her stomach, Regina, Henry, and Emma all looked at the screen to see a beautiful little sight. A blob with a heartbeat in the depths of the black and white was in sight.

"There he is!" Henry cried, convinced he was going to have a brother. He had never seen anything like that, and it made him so happy.

"Look at that, kid, your little brother or sister!" Emma cried, holding Henry's hand.

Meanwhile, Regina had teared up, but this time she had a good reason to. She felt so blessed in that moment, and although she knew she could never be with the father of her child, at least she had a child growing inside of her. Her own baby. She never thought she would have this.

"That's my baby," she whispered in disbelief.

"That is. Next time you have an ultra sound, we can find out the sex for you, if you want," the doctor told her. "Everything looks good. Heartbeat is normal, it's the right size, nothing to be worried about. I'm just going to make a few notes in your chart, and then I'll print out some pictures for you to take home."

"Thank you," Regina smiled, and looked at Henry and Emma. She knew this was just the beginning of something wonderful.


	5. Change

After lunch, the women did a little bit of shopping, dragging Henry along with them, and then went back to Regina's manse to pick up Emma's car and some of Henry's things so he could go back to Emma's.

"Would you care to stay for dinner? I know it's already late, but it's the least I can offer. Besides, I'm making Henry's favorite," she said with a grin toward her son as the trio got out of Regina's car and were headed inside. Regina put in the code to the alarm system and opened the door.

"Lasagna?!" Henry asked cheerfully, looking at his mother with wide eyes.

"Yes. What do you say, Ms. Swan?"

"Okay, but only if you stop calling me 'Ms. Swan'."

With a chuckle, Regina replied, "Okay, Emma."

"Great! I'll go get started on dinner, and Henry, honey, would you be able to help me out by setting the table?"

"Sure."

"Ms... Emma, would you care to help me in the kitchen?"

"Alright," she agreed with a nod. She knew Regina could take care of dinner on her own, but she also knew she didn't want to be alone right now by any means. That's why she was so confused as to why she agreed to let Emma have Henry for the night.

Emma followed Regina into the kitchen and the brunette got out the ingredients. She knew the reciepe by heart, so she began putting the meal together, as Emma entertained her with funny stories from her past.

"So she let you keep it?" Regina asked, popping the lasagna into the oven.

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed as they both burst out laughing.

The laughter died down and Regina set a kitchen timer, before saying, "I've never really had a friend, you know, besides Tink and Kathryn... and those were both short lived, but I'm enjoying your company. You're actually pretty funny, despite what people say."

Emma made a face. "Thanks, I think."

"Not that people say you aren't funny, they just think you're... rough around the edges."

"Oh, not like anyone else in this room, right?"

Regina had to smile. "Touche."

"Do you want me to check on Henry? Maybe see how the packing is coming along?"

"That'd be great. I'm actually going to use the rest room quickly, and then I'll meet you up there."

Emma nodded, heading out of the kitchen, and Regina followed suit.

When Regina met them in Henry's room, Henry was laying in bed, and Emma was sitting perpendicular to him, touching his leg lovingly.

"Hey," she said gently. Maybe she was changing. Her whole demeanor was different. She was friendlier, and stronger than she ever was before.

"Henry's not feeling well. I think he might do better with you tonight," Emma suggested, looking down at her son. "Whadda'ya think, kid?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah, I don't wanna get the baby sick."

"Okay," Regina understood. "Can I get you some crackers? Ginger ale? What can I do to make you feel better?"

"You and Mom can enjoy dinner. I think I'm just gonna go to sleep."

Taking a breath, the brunette nodded. "Alright, sweetheart. If you need me, just yell. If I don't hear you, come get me?"

"Yeah Mom, I will." the boy smiled.

"Alright, kid. I'll check in on you before I leave, okay? I love you." the blonde told him, standing up.

"I love you, too."

Emma smiled, and exited the room, and Regina did the same, before closing his door.

"Poor kid."

"I know. I hope he doesn't have a bug. You can always call and check in or stop over tomorrow morning to check on him if he's asleep when you leave."

"Thank you, Regina. That means a lot."

The mayor nodded. "I'm trying this new thing where I'm putting the past behind me and trying to be a better person. I want to be a better mother to our son, and I think the first step I need to take in order to be a better mother is acknowledge the fact that he is your son, too. I need to share him with you, even if I want him all to myself. I know you thought you didn't have a choice when you gave him up, but you do now, and you've chosen to stay. I really admire that about you, Emma."

Surprised by her words, Emma just nodded. "Thank you. I know it'll pay off for Henry, you letting me be in his life. I know you raised him, but I love him just as much as you do. I am his mother, too."

Before Regina could reply, they heard the timer in the kitchen.

"Guess dinner's ready!" Emma exclaimed, before adding, "I'm starving!"

* * *

Hi guys, I hope you're enjoying this story so far. If you have a moment, would you do me a favor & just tell me what you think so far? Thank you! (:


	6. Begin Again

The women ate lasagna and they shared a bottle of sparkling cider. They began talking about Emma's pregnancy, and how she was in jail when she found out she was going to have Henry. She explained to Regina some of the different things that occured during her pregnancy, like having a sore back all of the time, getting indigestion from the simplest of meals, and her ankles swelling up so badly she could barely walk.

Regina went to reply, but the lights flickered out and that caught her attention.

"Oh, no... I guess I'll have to reset the breaker again."

"Can I do that for you?" Emma asked, unable to see anything because it was already dark out, and it wasn't like they were burning candles or anything for dinner.

"No, I know where it is. You can finish your dinner, if you can see it, that is. I'll be right back."

"Wait! Regina, at least let me come with you?"

Regina thought for a moment and teased, "Scared of the dark, are we?"

"No... not really. Just don't want you falling and me being unable to find you."

It was thoughtful, really. "Alright... c'mon."

They headed downstairs into the basement and Regina tried to turn the power back on, but with no avail. She figured the power must have gone out for the whole town, and her phone was probably in her purse, ringing away.

The ladies went back to the ground floor and Regina found her phone, using it as a light to find some candles. She got word that the power wouldn't be back on for a few hours, as the storm across town that made it go out was just starting, and it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. While Regina took a few phone calls on her cell phone, Emma went up to the second floor to look in on Henry who was sleeping soundly.

Emma got back downstairs and Regina had already lit a few candles in the dining room, as well as one in the kitchen, and left a few spares on the counter.

"Do you mind dining by candle light?"

Was that supposed to sound romantic? Emma quickly shook that unusual thought and replied, "Uh... no, that's fine."

"Great, because the power won't be on for a couple of hours."

The blonde nodded, wondering what made the power go out in the first place. Then she heard the thunder and the room was lit up by lightning. "Let's eat."

Regina sat down in her chair and picked up her fork. By the time she had finished her supper, Emma had been long done.

"Sorry," she apologized for being a slow eater.

"No, take your time. I'll help you clean up and then I'll be out of your hair," Emma said, standing up quickly.

For some reason, Regina decided, Emma was in a hurry. But as she leaned over to clear the table, the queen caught a glimpse down Emma's shirt and she stiffened a little as she took a deep breath. What the hell was that? She asked herself trying to stand up as she steadied her balance. Emma must've already been in the kitchen, and Regina was left standing alone, trying to figure out what she just experienced.

It had to be the hormones, she decided. And the lack of a male presence in her life. Right? That was all it was? She wasn't... no. She couldn't be. Suddenly she felt as though she were in the wrong body. She walked into the kitchen and noticed the curve of Emma's body, and grasped at her chest.

What the hell was going on?!

"Regina?" she heard, but all she could see was Emma coming toward her. Her figure in the candle light, her concerned but parted, swollen lips, those long, slender fingers...

Regina closed her eyes. No. This was not happening. Not after all of the work that she did to surpress her feelings. Not after all of the magic that she used to keep her feelings hidden. She could not be attracted to a woman! No!

"Regina!" Emma said louder, waving her hand in front of her face. "Earth to Regina; can you hear me?"

"What? Of course I can hear you!" Regina finally came out of her trance.

"Sorry, I just-"

"You just what, Ms. Swan?" she snapped.

"This again? Really?! I knew this was just a trap! I knew you hadn't changed like you said, like Henry said. That poor child thinks his mother is this saint now, and all you are is a monster! Why did you invite me over, Regina? Why did you pretend to be so nice? What do you want from me?! What do I need to give you to make you leave me alone?" Emma lost it on her.

"I'm so sorry. I need you to leave," Regina said quietly, as hot tears rested in her eyes after Emma blew up at her. "I'm so sorry."

"Right," she said, slamming the towel she had in her hands down on the counter and brushing past Regina. When the brunette heard the door slam, she knew she had left, and she just about broke down. She could not be feeling this way. She felt like she was suffocating, and no one was there to help her breathe. She was drowning and she couldn't get her head above water. It was happening so fast!

Regina slid down the counter to sit on the floor as tears poured into her lap. This wasn't happening, it just couldn't be. Not again.

* * *

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	7. Everything Has Changed

When Regina woke up the next morning, she immediately checked on her son before doing anything else. She was concerned that he still wasn't feeling well, and by the time she actually made it to bed the night before, she didn't have the energy to get up again and check on her son in the middle of the night.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" she asked, sitting down on his bed beside him, as he looked up at her.

"I'm okay," he nodded, before he asked the question that had been on his mind all night. He remembered hearing the door slam, or so he thought, and he wanted to know what went on the night before. "What happened to you and Mom last night? Did you have a good dinner?"

"Well, we got through dinner without any problems, besides the power outage, and you being sick. Come to think of it, dinner wasn't great, but Emma and I got along just fine," Regina said. She was being truthful, she just wasn't telling the entire truth.

And Henry sensed that. "And after dinner?"

"Henry... here's the thing, honey, your mother and I... she just doesn't think that I've forgiven her, or changed..." Regina told Henry, before taking a deep breath. "And I may have snapped at her because she was being a little bit annoying-"

"Mom!"

"I didn't mean it! I just, she..." she breathed out. "It was my fault, and I shouldn't have treated her that way. She was just concerned about me, and I was at fault."

Henry grabbed her hand. "So apologize. I'm sure she's going to think that you have some motive behind it, so be sincere. Tell her what really happened and why you got upset." Regina went to interrupt her son, but Henry spoke first. "You don't have to tell me, but you always have a reason, Mom."

The mayor nodded. "You're probably right... Should I call her?"

"Maybe you should do it in person. I'll call her and ask her to come over, okay?"

"Okay, sweetheart."

"Oh, and Mom?"

"Yes, Henry?"

"I think I know what I want to do with the rest of my life," he said very seriously.

With a smile, she asked, "And what would that be?"

"I want to be a therapist. I mean, between you and Emma, I'm already a pro."

Regina laughed in spite of herself. "Alright, sweetheart, we'll start looking at schools for you when I'm done apologizing," she told him with a wink.

When Regina left the room, Henry got up to call his mother, and got her to agree to come over. Then, he went back to sleep and left Regina to do the rest of the work.

The doorbell rang and Regina smoothed out her skirt. She tugged her shirt down a little, and looked down at her belly. It was only going to get bigger, and nothing made her happier.

She remembered Emma was at the door, and she opened it seconds later. "Ms. Swan," she said, as her heart began to race at the sight of the blonde. Oh, for the love of God, this was not what she needed right now.

"Madame Mayor," she spat angrily. "I am here to see Henry, and last night, you said that was fine. So, I'm coming in, and you are not going to stop me."

"I have no intention of stopping you, Emma, but you should know, he's asleep, and he called and asked you to come over so that I could... apologize. I'm sorry for snapping at you last night. It was uncalled for, and after everything you have said and done over the past few weeks, you certainly didn't deserve it."

"And why are you sorry, Regina? Because you have changed? Because you want me to believe you? Or because you need to get back into my good graces in order to manipulate me the way you want to?" Emma gave her a fake smile. "I don't have time for this, I want to see my son."

"I was apologizing because I mean it! I know I have been anything but friendly to you since you've come to Storybrooke, but I want it to be different for us," she said as her heart skipped a beat. Oh, she wanted it to be different, alright. She shook the thought from her head, trying to forget what her heart was saying. She knew nothing could ever happen between them. Besides, this was really about their son, not about her... feelings. "I want it to be different for Henry."

Emma took a breath. She could always tell when someone was lying. And she could tell that Regina was definitely hiding something, but she was being honest about wanting them to work through their differences.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay. I accept your apology. Thank you... it means a lot to me that you want to include me in Henry's life. I shouldn't have gone crazy on you last night, either. I knew something was wrong and you didn't want to say, so I need to apologize, too."

"That's unnecessary, Ms. Swan," Regina told her with a smile. She reached out and grabbed her hand. Sparks flew before Regina's eyes. She could barely see straight, and she felt her pulse quicken. Once again, trying to forget about what she felt, she said, "But thank you."

* * *

Well, if you haven't guessed by now, this is going to be a Swan Queen story (:  
How do you feel about this chapter? Lemme know m'loves!


	8. The Moment I Knew

Emma sat down on the couch and Regina brought her a glass of water. The blonde had just come back downstairs from checking on her son, and realized the mayor hadn't been lying; Henry was fast asleep in his bed.

"Thanks," she said gently, taking a sip before setting it down on the coffee table before her.

Regina sat down, too, with some water in hand, and smiled at Emma.

"What?" Emma asked with an uncomfortable smile. She hated being stared at.

"Your hair... you hardly ever wear it up."

Emma shrugged. "I have a date later."

"With?" Regina asked jealously, not even caring about her tone in that moment, or what Emma would think of it.

"...Hook? Why?"

Regina scoffed. "Well, you should probably be going then... on your date?"

"Regina, what is up with you? Do you... do you like him?"

"Who?"

"Hook! Oh my God, you like him!"

The brunette laughed out loud. "Like him? Come now, Emma. Really? Hook? The man who helped nearly kill me a couple years ago because he's such a great guy?"

"He helped us get our son back, Regina! He helped save my father's life!"

"Yes, how could I have forgotten. You owe him, right? You feel like you owe him your life, so you're letting him have it. Well, Ms. Swan, I don't think you should go out with him because you owe him nothing," she seethed.

Emma just looked at her. She was confused, upset, and a little hurt by Regina's words. "I know I owe him nothing. That doesn't mean that I am going to stop seeing him. I want to date, Regina. I want a love life! I didn't for a long time, so I didn't have one. But I'm ready now. He sees me for who I am, imperfections and all. And sure, we've had our ups, and certainly our downs, but that doesn't change the way he feels about me."

"And how do you feel about him?"

The question kind of caught her off guard. She was so busy with defending this guy she was seeing to Regina of all people, that she forgot to say what was most important to the conversation... how she felt about him.

"He's a good guy, he's great with Henry... he treats me like a princess, Regina. What's there to say?"

"I feel like you're avoiding the question, Emma. How do you feel? What does your heart say? Is he the one?"

"I don't know if he's the one, but I know I'm willing to give him a chance. I want that fairytale romance my parents have. I want to kiss someone and have it take my breath away. I want someone to love me, and for once in my life, I want to love them back. Is it that hard to understand?" she practically pleaded with the queen.

"No, it's not hard to understand, but you need to be honest with yourself. If he's the one who does that for you, then I am so happy you've found him," Regina said, blinking tears away from creeping into her eyes. "But if not, you need to move on. It's not good for you, and it's certainly not good for Henry to see you with someone who doesn't make you happy."

"I don't know if he does!" Emma cried. "I don't know. But I want to give it a try. I owe that to myself, not to anyone else. I want to be happy!"

Regina grabbed her hands again, and ignored everything she felt for the woman in that moment. "You deserve to be happy, Emma, and from what I'm hearing, he isn't the one. He doesn't sweep you off your feet, he doesn't kiss you the way that makes you forget about the rest of the world, and you... you don't love him back. He might be good with Henry, but someone else could be equally as great with our son. You deserve someone who makes your face light up with happiness, someone who makes you laugh even though you feel so broken, someone who you have feelings for, not just pursue to make yourself feel better. Someone who makes you feel loved and protected. Someone who you want to be with again and again."

Emma had tears in her eyes. She didn't know what to say, but somehow Regina knew exactly what she wanted. Exactly what she needed. "Regina..." she whispered.

"I know, you feel like you'll never find it, but believe me, Emma, you will," Regina looked down before letting go of her hands. "C'mon. We'll practice your break up and determine the best way to let him down gently."

Emma was hesitant, but she eventually nodded. "Okay."


	9. I Wish You Would

Regina was laying in bed that night, thinking about her day. It had been pretty nice, she supposed. She had seen Emma, got her to realize she needed to break up with Hook, and Henry was feeling better. She had dinner with her son and they bonded over some pasta, which couldn't have been better. Now, she was in bed with her thoughts and unborn child, and she couldn't be happier.

She touched her swollen belly with her hand, and smiled about her day. Just as she closed her eyes, though, the door bell rang. It had to be someone from the Mayor's office, she decided. But why were they at her house so late?

She grabbed her robe as the door bell rang again, and Regina started to get aggravated. She thought that the noisy guest was going to wake Henry up.

Regina rushed down the stairs as the door bell rang for a third time, and then she swiftly answered the door seconds later, as Emma came bursting through the door.

Before the brunette could even say 'Ms. Swan,' Emma was already on a rampage.

"He proposed, Regina! He freaking proposed! Marriage! He wants me to marry him! Of all things he could have asked me to do, he wants me to marry him!" Emma said as she ran her hands through her hair, which was now down.

"What? I thought you went to break up with him," Regina said, closing the door and moving over to where Emma was.

"I did! But he proposed when I said we needed to talk!" she cried, sitting down on the couch with her head in her hands.

"Okay, so what happens now? You obviously said no, so did he break up with you? I thought you wanted to break up with him?" Regina asked, sitting down next to her. She could smell her perfume and she relished the moment where she could simply take it in.

Emma held her left hand up to Regina as she turned away from her again. There, a diamond ring rested on her finger, and Regina's eyes widened and Emma swore she heard a small gasp escape from the mayor's lips.

What the hell? That's what she wanted to spat at Emma! What the hell was she thinking? Hadn't they just been over this while Emma visited this afternoon? Was that not the plan? Regina racked her brain and remembered Emma didn't want to be with Hook anymore than Regina wanted her to be with Hook.

"Emma... what were you thinking?" she whispered, taking her hand and closing her eyes, letting her thoughts consume her. She knew she would never be any competition for Hook, a man, who understood her and took care of Henry. She knew she could never vie for Emma's heart, because she knew that Emma was attracted to men, and that meant not Regina.

"I wasn't," Emma finally said, breaking Regina of those terrible thoughts of self-doubt and self-hatred. "I didn't have a chance to answer him because he was already putting the ring on my finger. I didn't know what to do, Regina. He was so serious... so sweet. How could I just break his heart after everything that he's done for me."

Taking a breath, she said, "We decided it was for the best... or maybe... I decided that for you. Is that what happened? Was I too pushy? Did I make you think you needed to break up with him?"

"No, no! I do need to break up with him! He's not the one, Regina. He's just not... and now I got myself into this, and I don't know what to do. Please help me?"

Regina nodded. "Okay, sure... what can I do? Tell me what you need and I will do whatever I can, alright?"

Emma nodded. She was never this weak, this needy. But something came over her and she could not break out of the trance. She wanted to have something good happen for once in her life, and now things were worse than ever.

"Just tell me what I have to do. Tell me what will make me happy, please?"

"Emma, I don't know what will make you happy. If I did, I would give it to you."

Emma looked up at Regina for a moment. "You... you would?"

"Of course I would. I want you to be happy. I think if you can be happy, maybe I can be happy. And right now, neither of us are truly happy, so let me help you. Then maybe I can help myself."

"So, you're only doing this because you think it'll make you happy?"

"No. I'm doing this to make you happy. If I could be happy, too, that would be really nice, but honestly, I'd rather you be happy," Regina told her truthfully. She wanted Emma to be happy above everything else, and if that meant that she couldn't be happy, she would just have to live with that. It's not like she ever had real happiness for very long anyway. She was used to being broken and bruised. But at least she had Henry, and soon she would have this new baby, so if that was the closest she could get to happiness, then that was all she wanted.

"Why? Why all of a sudden would you rather see me happy, Regina? You remember that I destroyed your happiness, don't you?"

Regina broke contact with Emma's hands. She wanted to tell her that she had feelings for her, feelings that she only felt once before in her entire life, and she knew what those feelings meant. But she didn't say anything. She knew it was a bad idea. "It doesn't matter," she smiled. "But please, tell me what you think you should do and maybe I can help."

"I think I'm just gonna have to break it off with him in the morning. Let him know I can't be with him because... because I want to be happy. And he doesn't make me happy. He doesn't make me happy, Regina," Emma told her quietly, finally, finally letting it sink in. She wasn't happy.

"I know. But we will find what does make you happy, and you will have it. I promise."

"What if that something doesn't make someone else happy? Then what?"

"Then I take care of it, Ms. Swan. That'll be my problem, not yours."

A beat. "Regina? Why are you doing this?"

"For Henry," she lied quietly.

"Do you... think I could stay here tonight? Just this once?"

Regina nodded and stood up. "Sure. You can stay in the room next to Henry's. You can surprise him in the morning."

Emma smiled and stood up, too. "Thank you," she said, reaching out to hug the mayor. It shocked Regina a little bit, but she hugged back tightly, and held on for as long as she could, savoring every second of the contact between them.

* * *

Slowest fic ever? It's really slow as I haven't decided exactly _how_ I want them to get together, & for that, I apologize. Just know these ladies are going to be together, alright? Keep that in mind, my friends (:


	10. The Lucky One

The next morning, when Regina woke up, she heard Henry laughing and got up to see what was going on. That's when she remembered that Emma had stayed the night, and she was probably telling him something that made him smile. She smiled at the thought of it, and made it to Henry's room where she looked in on them sitting together.

"Good morning," she said with a smile. She hadn't woken up this happy in a long time. It was nice to feel good in the morning, the mayor decided.

"Afternoon you mean," Emma smiled at her, and Regina felt her heart begin to race as she saw the crooks of her mouth turn upward at her. She felt like a school girl saying hello to her first crush.

"Afternoon?" Regina moved to sit down beside Henry on the bed.

"Mom, it's 1:30," Henry told her seriously.

"What?! And you let me sleep in?!"

"I told him not to wake you. I kept you up for half the night, it was the least I could do," Emma explained.

"Ms. Swan, I have work to do! I can't afford to sleep for that long!"

"It's Sunday, Mom," Henry reminded her.

Regina always spent Sundays with her son, and even when he wasn't around, she usually didn't work. "Oh," she said, looking away from them for a moment as Emma and Henry shared a look.

"Don't worry, you'll be nice and busy tomorrow, I'm sure. Isn't Monday the busiest day for you, or is that just for the station?" Emma asked her curiously, reaching behind Henry to give her a gentle rub on her arm.

Suddenly, it was like her body was on fire... in a good way, though. She hadn't felt this feeling in a long time, and all because of the sheriff's hand? She was a school girl with her first crush! "Uhm, yeah, I guess so," she stuttered.

"Well, kid, I'm gonna let you get back to your game. I've got some girl talk to be had with your mom," Emma made a face. She seemed brighter today, Regina noted. It seemed as though she was glowing, really.

Henry laughed. "Okay, Moms. Have fun," he told them as they both got off of his bed and headed downstairs so that Regina could get something to eat, and Emma could tell her what she had been up to.

"How did you sleep last night?" Regina asked, not wanting to push the Hook subject.

"Actually, really well. The beds here are super comfortable," Emma told the brunette who was making some eggs. She already offered Emma some, but she declined.

"I always thought so."

"Did you wanna hear about my morning?" the blonde offered.

"Yes, I would like to hear about it," Regina nodded, flipping the egg over before looking back at Emma.

"I did it."

"You did?"

"I broke up with him! He wasn't particularly mad, but he was a little hurt. I told him, though, that if I wasn't happy, how could he be? If I'm not all in, is that fair to him?" Emma shrugged. "I mean, I don't know what the future holds, but I feel free, Regina. I feel like maybe I can be happy."

"I'm really proud of you, Emma. That's great that you had the courage and the strength to take back your happiness. Now, you just have to decide what makes you happy. For instance, Henry. You want someone who can be a parental figure to our son."

"Right. And I want someone who knows me, all of me. Strengths, weaknesses, flaws, and all. I want someone who can handle that."

Regina smiled at her. "That's good, Emma. I think you should really start thinking about a few more qualities that you want in a potential partner, and we can get started on putting my magic to good use."

"Our magic."

Regina looked at her for a moment. "Our magic?"

"I want to help. I want to make myself happy, but I know I need your help."

"Good. Then we can get started when you're ready. But for now, I need your help. Be a dear and hand me my plate, would you?" Regina asked as she picked up her egg with the spatula, and Emma handed her the black plate.

The women sat down at the table and made small talk, and when Regina was finished eating, Emma went upstairs to say goodbye to her son. She came back downstairs, hugged Regina, and then left, as the poor queen was left to deal with her own thoughts. And boy did she have a lot to think about.

* * *

Next chapter is going to be a little different, so I hope you'll like it (:


	11. The Story of Us

_Regina was only fifteen, but she had spent enough time with herself, by herself, to know exactly what she felt, and she was in love._

_Princess Esmeralda was eighteen, but that didn't matter to Regina. Neither did the fact that her parents would never approve of her being gay. She didn't care about anything when the princess told Regina that she loved her._

_"You do?" she asked, tears stinging her eyes. She was so happy. Her stomach felt like there had been butterflies set loose inside, and her heart felt so full that she could explode with joy._

_"So much," the older girl took Regina's hands in hers._

_"Oh, Esme, I love you, too. Very, very much," the young girl said, leaning up to kiss her sweet love on the lips. Esme, as Regina called her, was not only her first love, but she had also been her first kiss. Regina knew since she was little that she liked girls. She always found herself getting attached to her nannies, her maids, her mother's friends. Any woman that would pay attention to her, Regina felt herself drawn to. It was heartbreaking, really, because on top of being gay, Regina was also searching for a mother figure, as Cora had never been much of a mother to her. But as soon as she met Esme, everything changed._

_"Run away with me, Regina, please? I know if my parents find out, they'll banish me, and if your parents find out, something worse will happen, to both of us."_

_Regina thought about it for a moment before she nodded. "Okay, yes. Yes! Let's run away together! I have to go back to my room and get some things. I'll meet you back here in an hour, alright?"_

_"I love you," Esme told her, kissing her again before taking off through the forest - the only place the girls could go to be alone. Regina took off, too, in the opposite direction, and made it back to the place she called home. It wasn't much of a home, Regina thought. All of the abuse and neglect that she endured - Cora was behind it all, and her father Henry played along to keep Regina's mother happy._

_When she made it to her bedroom, Regina packed what little she wanted to hold onto into a little sack, and then sneaked back out of the house without her mother and father seeing her._

_Luckily, when she made it back to the forest, Esme was already waiting for her, and hadn't been caught, either. The princess grabbed a hold of Regina's arm, and took off running. Following behind, Regina giggled at the start of their adventure, and kept up nicely with the older woman._

_The girls made it to a remote piece of land and a cabin that was almost entirely hidden by moss and trees._

_"Well, this is our temporary home," Esme told Regina, turning around to look at her. They hadn't broken contact since they left the Enchanted Forest, and they had been too busy running and breaking to have a full conversation. "We'll just stay for tonight, and then tomorrow we'll get on the move again, okay? It'll be dark soon, and I want us to be safe."_

_Regina took in what Esme had said and nodded readily. She was so happy to be away from her home, and she couldn't imagine anything better than being with her love. "Thank you," she said, letting Esme's hand go, as the older woman turned around._

_"For what, love?"_

_"Getting me away from her," she said, barely above a whisper, looking into her girlfriend's eyes._

_Esme grabbed a hold of her and hugged her tightly. "She doesn't deserve a daughter as wonderful as you, sweetheart."_

_Regina hugged her back and stayed there for as long as she could before they went inside._

_Fortunately, Esme had brought a few things to eat, and the girls nibbled - they didn't want to waste all of the food in one day. Then, since it was dark outside, the girls went to the bedroom to lay down. The cabin was a safe house that Esmeralda's family owned, and it had been set up for soldiers to stay in over night if they had been deep in the forest._

_"I've never had a sleepover before," Regina said excitedly, giggling toward Esme._

_"I've had sleepovers, but I've never slept over with someone I love before. It's going to be nice, you know? Living with you, in freedom," Esme let her long brown curls down from her ponytail. Her sparkling blue eyes met Regina's caramel ones and they just stared at each other for a few moments before Esme moved in to kiss her._

_The girls began to make out, and suddenly, Regina felt a hand creep up her torso and cup her breast through her shirt. She felt the same hand squeeze a little bit, over and over again._

_"Mmmm..." she moaned into Esme's kiss._

_"Do you like that?" Esme whispered into her mouth._

_"Yes," Regina said, moving to do something similar to Esme's beautiful body. Esme loved the feeling of Regina's hands against her body, and eventually, the girls made their way under the covers._

_Regina kissed Esme again, and felt Esme's hand now between her legs. She was a virgin, and she didn't know what sex would feel like, but when they were done, she knew she never wanted to have sex with anyone else. She felt so good and so full of love in that moment that nothing could break her happiness._

_Not until the next morning, that was._

_She woke up to whining and got out of bed immediately. Regina ran into the kitchen and found Cora with a knife to Esme's throat._

_"Oh, Regina, so nice of you to join us. I was just telling princess Esmeralda here that you girls should probably go back home before the queen catches you, but your friend here doesn't want to take my advice."_

_"Please, mother! Leave her alone!" Regina cried, not wanting to get closer, in fear that her mother would do something drastic. She already had tears in her eyes because she felt that something bad was going to happen._

_"Regina, run!" Esme yelled at Regina, but she didn't move._

_"I won't leave you," the younger girl said as tears rolled down her cheeks._

_"Get out of here!" Esme pleaded, looking at her love as Cora continued to choke her._

_"No! Mother! Please!" Regina wept, as Cora shook her head at her daughter._

_"Oh, so you like your friend, huh? I didn't know you were into girls, you disgusting excuse of a tramp! Did you spread your legs for her last night? You're repulsive!" Cora screamed at her daughter as she threw the knife on the ground._

_Esme tried to escape from Cora, but she was too strong and too powerful. She choked the poor girl as Regina moved in to try to stop her, screaming at her to stop. But with every word Regina yelled, Cora squeezed tighter and tighter, until the air left the girl all together._

_Cora let her fall to the ground and Regina's eyes widened._

_"Esme?! Esme!" she cried as she knelt to wake the princess up to no avail. "What have you done?!" Regina yelled at her mother as tears fell from her eyes._

_"What was best for you, dear. Now, let's forget this ever happened and find you a suitable man. I see you like them older, so I don't think a king is out of the question. Now, you will get up on your feet and join me, or I will do the same to you, understood?" Cora lectured, as Regina stayed where she was._

_"You little witch, I will kill you if you don't come with me right now!"_

_Nothing. Just soft cries of heartache._

_"Regina!" Cora screamed, grabbing the back of her daughter's shirt and pulling her to her feet. "Now," she seethed._

_Regina realized when she was half way home that she was with her mother and fought her the rest of the way. That's what got her locked up for the next few months with only morsels of food to eat and small bits of water to drink. She didn't care, though, because the love of her life was dead, and it was all her fault._

_She never truly loved again. She was never honestly happy again. Sure, she dated the stable boy in secret, just to spite her mother, and then she used men for everything they had, especially Snow White's dad._

_Robin may have been different; she did have feelings for him, but nothing was as strong as the love she felt for Esmeralda. Nothing until she realized she had feelings for Emma Swan._

* * *

So, what did you think?


	12. Wildest Dreams

A few months had flown by, and Regina and Emma were becoming closer and closer. Regina still hid her feelings from the sheriff, but that turned out to be a good thing because Emma was clearly interested in finding a mate that was of the male specimen.

"He's cute," Regina offered, sitting at Granny's diner one day.

"Yeah, but would he be good in bed?" Emma wondered with a smile, causing Regina to give the fake laugh she gave every time Emma brought up bedroom affairs.

"Tell me, Regina, who do you think I should be with? You know everyone in this town... is my 'true love' here?" she asked, putting quotation marks around true love as if she almost didn't believe in it. But she did. She so believed. She was just having a hard time being alone.

The question caught the mayor off guard for a moment. She cleared her throat and said, "I'm not sure, Emma, but I know you will find love here." Who wouldn't love you? She wanted to add, but refrained, knowing that was going a little too far.

"And what if I don't?"

"You will," Regina said firmly.

Emma sighed to herself and then asked, "Do we have time for dessert?" trying to change the subject.

"Probably not. Let's go pick Henry up now, and then we can grab some ice cream or something," Regina suggested. Ice cream sounded really good. She knew it was nearly Christmas, and in Maine, that was a very cold time of year, but she didn't care. She wanted the sweet taste of mint ice cream on her tongue.

"Craving it?" Emma asked with a smile, looking down at Regina's ever growing belly as the women got up from the table they had been sitting at.

"Kinda," Regina shook her head with a smile.

And that's how it had been and continued to be between the women. Friendly, but Regina knew not to push the boundaries. Instead, she was focused on helping Emma find true love. She had to make Emma happy, because it would destroy her if she wasn't.

Christmas morning came, and Henry came downstairs to where the tree was set up. He had stayed with Regina, but Emma, Mary Margaret, David, and baby Neal were all coming over later on.

Regina had been awake for an hour or so, waiting patiently for her son to wake up. Once he had, she was delighted.

"I thought you liked to get up early on Christmas morning," Regina noted, as Henry sat down on the floor in front of the tree.

He shrugged. "Now that I know you're Santa Claus, I don't have to get up early and try to catch him in the act."

Regina gave him a sad smile. He was getting older and it was going by so fast. She touched her stomach with a gentle pat. "Please don't get any older, especially since my magic can't slow it down," she begged her son.

"Mom," Henry moved to hug her. He knew he was getting older, too. It wasn't as easy growing up, but at least he had Regina, Emma, and his grandparents. Rumple was there for him, too, and he really appreciated that. He knew that because he was new at being a grandparent, he was getting a little spoiled, but that didn't seem to bother him at all.

"Promise me you'll believe in Santa next Christmas, for your little brother or sister?" she asked him, still holding him tightly.

"Will the baby even know?"

"No, but I had you believing in Santa for as long as you can remember, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," Henry remembered, not able to recall one time when he was little that Santa Claus didn't stop at the mayor's house. "I am so happy that you're having a baby. I can't wait to see you and Mom fight over that baby like you do over me," he teased.

Regina pursed her lips. "I'm not sure she'll fight me for this one, Henry. This baby is mine, and I think your mother and I have... had our issues over you because you belong to both of us. It won't be like that when I have this baby."

"That's too bad," Henry realized, a little upset for his brother or sister.

"Why, honey?"

"Because I think it's pretty cool... getting to have two moms, I mean."

Regina had to smile. "I think it's pretty cool, too, and you know Emma is welcome to help me with the baby, and especially with you. You'll need her when the baby comes, and perhaps I could use her help, too."

Before they could continue their conversation, the door bell rang, and both Regina and Henry smiled. "I'll get it!" the boy cried out, running toward the door.

Regina had a moment alone with her unborn child and smiled, knowing that although this was the last Christmas she would spend as a mother of one, she was so grateful that the following Christmas would involve the same people that were at the door, plus a little addition.

"Hey," Emma said, breaking Regina of her thoughts. Regina smiled up at the woman and then patted the cushion next to her.

"Come sit down, and bring me that baby!" Regina exclaimed, holding her hands out to take baby Neal who was snuggled in Emma's arms. Regina couldn't miss how precious and absolutely breathtaking Emma looked holding the sweet boy, and although she didn't want to take Emma's brother from her, she was desperate to get her hands on that baby.

Emma chuckled. "Yes, ma'am," she teased, carefully handing baby Neal to Regina and smiling at her when Neal began to coo at Regina. "He likes you," she noted, giving her a grin.

"Well, I'm pretty fond of him, too," she smiled.

Mary Margaret came into the room and her waved at the mayor before saying, "You look good with a baby, Regina."

"So do you," she smiled at the woman, and said, "Have a seat wherever; Henry was about to open some presents."

"Alright," the woman said cheerfully.

Normally, that upbeat attitude would have made Regina mad, but she was enjoying it. She was enjoying the atmosphere around her, and although the baby helped her smile, she was completely thrilled that Emma was sitting beside her.

David and Henry walked into the living room and found their seats on the floor in front of the tree. David held his wife's hand while Henry began to open some gifts. Although Mary Margaret was seated in a chair across from Regina and Emma, David was close enough to the chair to still show some affection for her while they were watching their grandson in front of the tree.

* * *

It's my birthday today & I would really love if I could get some feedback from my wonderful readers! I've had a few people tell me what they think so far, and I SO appreciate it! Thank you so much for reading (:


	13. I Almost Do

After Henry opened a few presents, he handed out some to his family, and sat back down on the floor as they all opened gifts. Besides Regina. Not that she didn't have any, because the Charmings, Emma, and even Henry got her some gifts for the holiday, but she was preoccupied with holding the baby that was in her arms.

"Do you want to trade for a little while so you can open some gifts?" Emma asked, learning over to touch her brother's face gently, before looking at Regina.

"Not unless I have to."

"You should at least open my parent's gift, and Henry's..." Emma told her quietly, but she was a little pushy about it. She knew what her parents would think if Regina kept the baby in her arms the entire time.

Regina, also knowing that the Charmings could be a little judgemental of her, handed Neal back to Emma and waited for Henry to hand her a gift. She opened it and revealed a beautiful piece of jewelry that David and Mary Margaret got her.

"We wanted to say thank you for working things out with Emma," David told her with a smile.

"And Merry Christmas!" Mary Margaret added before Regina smiled at the couple.

"It means a lot to me; thank you," she said, before continuing, "I know things haven't always been easy between us, and I know that was my fault, but I'm hoping that we can put the past behind us and move forward. I am honored to have you as part of my family, and grateful to have you here on a day like today."

"Well, I didn't make things easy, either," Mary Margaret admitted, "But we can definitely work on moving forward and keeping the past in the past."

"I couldn't agree more," David smiled at both women.

Neal started crying and Emma tried to hush him, but with no luck.

"I can see if he needs changing," Regina offered, and Mary Margaret gave her an appreciative look before nodding her head and mouthing "thank you" to her. She scooped the baby up from Emma's arms, and took the sweet boy into the dining room. Emma followed her and laid a blanket out on the floor so that Regina could change him.

"You're gonna be an amazing mother, you know? I know raising Henry wasn't the easiest thing, but I know that he was in excellent hands with you," Emma told her, handing her the diaper bag.

Regina gave her a smile. "Thank you, Emma. And you're right. While it wasn't always easy raising our son by myself, it was certainly worth it, and I am so lucky to have another chance. This time, there won't be any curse and my child won't be claiming I'm the evil queen," she said with a chuckle.

Emma had to laugh before they changed the baby and suddenly, Emma heard Regina gasp. "What's wrong? Is Neal okay?" she asked, concerned that something was wrong with her baby brother.

Regina took Emma's hand and placed it on her stomach. The women sat there for a minute until they both smiled.

"Did you feel that?"

"Yes! That's amazing, Regina!"

"My baby," she buzzed, feeling the fetus move in her stomach again. Then she finally let Emma's hand go. She turned around and leaned into kiss Emma before she remembered where she was and what she was doing. She quickly moved away and went to pick up the baby, pretending that nothing happened.

But Emma sat there for a moment. Did Regina just almost kiss her? No... right? Right? "Regina-"

"I'm gonna take the baby back to your mother," Regina said, starting to walk away.

Emma would have grabbed her and pulled her back to talk to her, but she remembered she had the baby in her arms, so she refrained. She simply cleaned up the mess on the floor and headed back into the other room when it was picked up.

She sat down on the couch next to Regina, and looked at her. "We need to talk," she said, as everyone began opening more presents. Regina gulped, giving her a nod, and then proceeded to open her gift.

* * *

Thank you for your reviews & birthday wishes (: So sweet! I love my readers!


	14. All You Had To Do Was Stay

The Charmings ended up staying for dinner, and Regina did her best to avoid talking to or even looking at Emma the entire time. Instead, she held baby Neal, she helped Henry open some of the things he got that he wanted to have right then and there, and she preoccupied herself with making dinner for everyone. They ended up having a turkey with mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, and homemade macaroni and cheese. Regina made all but the mac and cheese, which was another gift from David and Mary Margaret.

When dinner was over, the Charmings packed up their car, along with Henry and Neal, and went home, leaving Emma and her yellow bug at Regina's mansion.

It was dark early these days, and besides, it was snowing so hard, you could barely see outside. The snow started, of course, after David drove his family home, because Regina wouldn't have let Henry ride in the car with them, or anyone, had it been snowing this hard.

Cut to Regina who was cleaning up the kitchen before Emma walked up behind her at the sink.

"Are we gonna talk?"

"About what?" Regina asked, looking away from the blonde, hoping that she would just forget about what happened earlier.

Emma widened her eyes and breathed out heavily. "Really, Regina?"

Regina turned around and said, "What do you want me to say, Emma? Do you want me to apologize? Fine. I am so sorry for my actions. Clearly, I wasn't thinking."

"I didn't say you had to apologize," Emma said bitterly. "I just want an explanation. I mean, c'mon... you think it's easy for me to understand what the hell happened today? Was it just a reaction because you felt the baby or was it... more? I just need to understand."

Regina set a stack of plates on the counter and pushed Emma up against the counter. She kissed her hard. Fully. Passionately. She put her whole body into the kiss and felt her belly press against Emma's body. The baby moved again, and Emma pushed her back gently but firmly, not wanting to hurt her, but wanting her off.

"What the hell?!" Emma asked, wiping her lips of the kiss. "Regina?!"

Regina couldn't even speak. She felt so rejected in that moment that she wanted to do nothing but run up to her room and cry. If Robin didn't want her, and Emma didn't want her, would she be alone forever?

"Please... please tell me you don't have feelings for me."

The mayor felt tears sting her eyes as she weakly nodded. "I do," she barely whispered.

Emma closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Regina. I'm so sorry I don't feel the same way. I... I am interested in men, and I'm interested in finding my happy ending."

"And that's not me," Regina realized, as tears fell from her eyes.

Emma felt uncomfortable, and stood there for a moment looking down at her boots. They were a gift from her parents that she had opened the night before, and she was already in love with them. She wanted to break them in, so she kept them on the entire time she was at Regina's place. "Maybe... maybe we should spend some time apart," she finally said, glancing up at the brunette who was also looking down at her shoes, or maybe the floor, she decided.

Regina sniffled at the suggestion as a few more hot tears slid down her face and dropped onto her shirt. "Yeah," she forced out, her voice cracking as the single syllable came out of her mouth.

Emma closed her eyes and said, "Okay, well, I'm gonna go. I'll have Henry back on Wednesday. Merry Christmas, Regina."

Regina wanted to stop her, but she couldn't. She had already acted so inappropriately, and she was so sure she had changed. Maybe she hadn't changed at all, she thought sadly. She shook her head, as she heard the door close in the distance, and she felt like her life was taking a turn for the worst.

Emma headed out into the snow, and when she made it through the weather, she got into her vehicle and shivered. She started the car and as soon as it was warm enough, she began to drive home. But as she took one of the last twists in the road that would get her back to the Charming's apartment, her car spun out of control and flipped upside down, rolling down the bank and only stopping when it hit a tree.

* * *

So... leave your feedback/thoughts/predictions/etc. for me to read, please!


	15. Treacherous

It had been about twenty minutes or so since Emma left, and Regina finally began to regain control over her emotions. She knew she needed to call Henry to say goodnight, and so that's exactly what she did.

"Hello?" Mary Margaret said with an excited voice.

"Hi Mary Margaret... can I please speak with Henry?"

"Of course! Henry!" she called covering the phone with her hand to echo the noise that it was sure to make. "It's your mother."

Henry came on the phone and said, "Hello Mom!"

"Hi honey. How's it going?"

"Good. Baby Neal is being really cute!"

"I'll bet he is," Regina smiled, laying down on her bed, putting a protective hand over her stomach. She couldn't wait until she had the baby and Henry could brag about how cute his brother or sister was.

"Do you think maybe I could stay here for a few extra days?"

"What do your grandparents think?"

Henry paused for a moment. "I think it would be okay."

"Well, you check with them and get back to me, alright?" Regina told him, knowing they would be fine with it, but not wanting to agree to anything before she had the okay from the Charmings.

"Okay. Hey, Mom?"

"Yes?"

"David wants to talk to you."

"Alright, I love you, sweetheart." Regina said genuinely. She wanted to cry because of the events that had taken place that day, but she held it together for him. Henry was her entire world, and to think that someone else could ever mean as much as he meant to her was crazy. But soon, when her child was born, it would be true.

"I love you, too!" Henry said before handing the phone to his grandfather.

"Hey Regina."

"Hello, David. What can I do for you?"

"Hey, can you tell Emma just to be quiet coming in? We just got Neal to sleep and I know she can be a little... loud when she gets home."

"I'd tell her, but she left here about twenty minutes ago," Regina said, sitting up immediately. "You mean she's not home yet?"

The drive from Regina's to Mary Margaret's was about seven minutes, tops, so even in the winter weather, it shouldn't have taken this long for her to get home. Both Regina and David realized that at the same time.

"No... and she should be. Are you sure she left twenty minutes ago?"

"Even longer, now that I've been on the phone," Regina said, getting up. She moved with her phone to get her shoes on, but David stopped her.

"I'll go out and look for her. She might just be downstairs talking or something. Don't leave your house, Regina."

"Then you call me back on your cell phone because I want to be there."

"Fine," David said, hanging up. He grabbed his phone and immediately called Regina back.

Regina was pacing around her bedroom while David told his wife that he was just going downstairs to check and see if Emma was home.

"She's not at Regina's?" Regina heard Mary Margaret in a concerned tone.

"She left, but she's fine, I'm sure. You just take care of the kids. I'll be right back," he told the woman, before running downstairs.

"Is she there?" Regina asked, her heart racing, wondering where the blonde was.

"No... I'm gonna head out in my truck. She can't be too far away."

"Keep me on the phone."

David did so, putting the phone on it's speaker setting and set it in the passenger's seat. He had barely begun driving when he noticed a dim light coming from where the bank was on the side of the road. There were no tire tracks indicating an accident, but there wouldn't be because of the snow fall.

"Shit!" he said, and Regina nearly jumped out of her skin.

"What?" she cried, knowing something had happened.

"I think I see her," David yelled, slamming the truck into park, grabbing the cell phone, and sprinting out of the car. There, buried under some snow, was Emma's yellow bug. "Emma!" he screamed, running as fast as he could through the heaping pile of snow, finally making it to the car. "Regina I found her, call for help!"

Regina hung up with David and did as she was told, shaking the entire time. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but she assumed that she had crashed her car. She reported the accident, telling them David was there with her, and then decided she couldn't stay there any longer. She had to go see what was going on.

Just as she got into her car, her phone rang and she answered it without noticing who was calling.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear.

"Regina, it's David. I'm headed to the hospital with Emma. Can you meet me there?" David said, and Regina heard the siren in the background.

"I'm on my way."

* * *

Thoughts, predictions, rants, rainbows...? Wait.


	16. You Are In Love

Regina drove as fast as she could down to the hospital, considering the roads were terrible, and her car was awful in the snow to begin with. The drive was slick, and she scared herself a few times, almost running off the road, probably much like Emma did, but she kept steady and strong, and made it to the ER across town.

"I'm looking for Emma Swan... they brought her in not too long ago," Regina's voice trembled. She held her stomach protectively, as she had probably upset her baby with all of the stress from this crazy night.

"I'm only allowed to let family go back," the nurse said gently.

"I'm Regina Mills," the mayor said, giving her an almost threatening look.

"I'm sorry Ms. Mills, doctor's orders."

Before Regina could cop an attitude with the woman, David came running up behind her, hearing most of the conversation, and said, "She is family."

Regina could have cried, she was so relieved in that moment. After everything she had been through on this insane Christmas day, she needed a little something to boost her spirits. She wondered briefly if Emma was awake and had told her father about the kiss. But would he still say they were family?

"C'mon," he said, leading Regina back to where Emma was. They stood together outside of the room while the doctors worked on her, and the queen fought the urge to run inside and try to wake her up herself.

It was hard to see Emma in such a condition. She was always so strong - never fragile. Not like this. She had scrapes and bruises forming, and Regina had to swallow multiple lumps in her throat to keep herself from the inevitable tears.

"What are the doctors saying?"

Regina's voice surprised even herself, sounding firm and unworried, when in fact, she was feeling the exact opposite. She was so scared and felt so broken, she just wanted Emma, even though Emma wanted nothing more than to run away from Regina. Obviously. That's why she was in this mess, Regina thought. Because of her stupid idea to let Emma know that she had feelings for her.

"Not much... she hit her head pretty hard, though."

Regina didn't even have a chance to nod before she and David heard, "Mr. Swan!"

"It's David... David Nolan," David said, as he and Regina went to the doctor.

"My apologies Mr. Nolan, I have some news about your daughter. You see, Emma was in a very bad car accident, and we've been doing all we can to help your daughter. Unfortunately, she suffered a traumatic brain injury... Mr. Nolan, we had to put your daughter in a medically induced coma."

"Oh my God," David shook his head while Regina asked, "What does that mean for her?"

"I'm sorry, you are?"

"Regina Mills. Mayor Regina Mills."

"Right, well, Ms. Mills, Mr. Nolan, we've called a surgical consult down to see if she's going to need to go up to the operating room, and once we know what we're up against, we can decide how long she needs to be in an induced coma for. It just depends on the severity of her condition. She is obviously in danger and the best way we can help her is to induce a coma. Does that make sense?" the doctor asked, looking back and forth between Regina and David.

"Yes," the both answered, quietly.

"Alright, I'll have the surgeon come out and talk to you once she sees Emma."

"Thank you," David said, and Regina nodded.

The pair waited a while longer, and soon the surgeon came out, explaining the Emma did, indeed, need surgery, and then they would induce the coma to help her heal properly.

"How long will she be in a coma for?" Regina asked, worried near sickness. She felt queasy and a little faint. She couldn't imagine magic fixing any of this, and she knew better than to use it, if it would just make things worse.

"It really depends; patients can be in a coma for as little as three days, but it depends on how well she does in surgery. She will most likely be under anesthetic for a week, and then we will take her off, and after that, it's a waiting game. I know this is hard to hear, especially on Christmas night, but it's the best news I have to give. I'm so sorry."

Regina felt tears running down her face, and a hand on her shoulder as the surgeon left to go back to Emma.

"You okay?"

Unable to speak, Regina shook her head, and David pulled her into a hug.

"I know you two have grown closer over the past few months, and I think it's important for you to remember how much she cares about you. She'd do anything for you, and for your son. She'll pull through and see the birth of your baby," David offered, as Regina began to sob.

"I... I told her I loved her," she cried into David's shoulder.

David didn't say anything, he just held her tighter. He'd seen the way Regina looked at his daughter, and at first, it was hard for him to take in, but ultimately, he knew how Regina had changed. He'd seen her with Henry. With baby Neal. With his wife. They had all been getting along so well, and David knew it was only a matter of time until Regina could be honest with Emma, and now... now things were more complicated than ever.

* * *

Not really sure how I feel about this chapter... how does everyone feel about it?


	17. Haunted

Regina waited for what felt like ever for the surgeon to come out and talk to her. It was the next day by now, but it felt like January had already passed. Unfortunately, she was stuck in this cold December, and she wasn't sure how she'd escape it.

"Mr. Nolan, Miss Mills?"

Regina finally heard her name and stood up immediately. To hear anything about Emma would surely brighten her mood, wouldn't it? Unless... no, Regina couldn't even think it. She moved to where the surgeon stood, and asked, "How is Emma?"

"Ms. Swan pulled through surgery better than expected. We had a little scare in the midst of the procedure, but from then on, she did great. We've induced the coma, and if you'd like, you can come back to see her. Is her father here? I know he came in with her," the surgeon noted, looking around when only Regina stood in front of her.

"No, he actually had to leave, but he said he'd be back as soon as he could be," Regina explained without getting into too much detail. Before she went back to see Emma, she decided, she'd have to call the Charmings and update them on their daughter's condition.

Baby Neal had been up since the Charmings left Mayor Mills manse, and Mary Margaret couldn't handle it anymore. She called David, begging him to come home, just to help her put him to sleep, and Regina knew that once he left, Emma would come out of surgery. However, she didn't realize he'd be gone for most of the night, or that the surgery would take so long.

Honestly, though, she felt that it took years longer than it actually did. All she wanted was to see Emma and know that she was going to be alright, but even magic couldn't speed up or slow down time. So, she sat patiently, checking her phone, sending and reading emails having to do with her job, and just waited. And waited. She waited for what felt like a lifetime, and here she was now.

Regina snapped out of her thoughts, and said, "I want to go back and see her, but I need to call her family first."

"Okay, just let the nurse at the front desk know when you're ready, and someone will be out to take you back to her," the surgeon smiled, before disappearing behind the hospital doors.

Regina dialed the Charmings residence as quickly as she could, and was surprised when she heard her son's voice on the other end.

"Mom?" he asked. His voice was shaking, and Regina once again felt as though she was going to get sick.

"Hi baby. How are you holding up?"

"I need to know how she is."

Regina took a sharp breath. "She's doing well, honey. She made it through surgery, and I'm actually on my way back to see her. The doctors had to put her into a coma to help her heal, but the surgeon said the surgery went well."

"Good. So she's going to be okay?"

"I really hope so, sweetie," the woman said, feeling her own voice crack, and tears began to trickle down her face.

"Mom? Are you okay?"

Regina nodded, as if he could see her, as she tried to get it together. "Yeah, I'm okay," she finally said, convincing herself that she was alright. The truth was, she was beyond worried. Overly upset. Dreadfully sad. And she so obviously blamed herself. If she hadn't kissed Emma, she wouldn't have taken off so suddenly...

If only she kept her feelings to herself. If only she didn't succumb to her emotions. All she had to do was keep up the facade that she had been hiding behind for so many years. But no, she couldn't do that. Because she was weak! Her being betrayed her, and these hormones coursing through her body caused her to finally break.

"Mom, I'm gonna put David on the phone," Henry told her, shaking her from her own mind.

"Okay, Henry. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Regina?"

"David... Emma's doing well, the doctors said. She came through surgery fine, they put her into the coma, and I'm going back to see her."

"Okay. That's good news. You have to be strong, Regina. If not for yourself, for Emma, for Henry, and for your baby. Go back there and talk to her. Just assume she can hear you, even if she doesn't respond. She'll know you're there for her," David told her, as carefully as he could. "I'll be down soon, but right now, you have to take care of her for Mary Margaret and me."

"I will," she promised. "And David?"

"Don't worry - your secret's safe with me."

Regina smiled to herself. "Thank you."

Once she hung up the phone, Regina got the nurse and headed back to where they were keeping Emma. She didn't have her own room, in fact, she was in the middle of plenty of other people, probably in the same condition she was in. There was a somber feeling in the air, and Regina felt a little cold as the nurse lead her to Emma's bed.

And there she was. Lying there. Cold. Calm. Pale. She almost looked unreal to Regina.

"Is... is she okay?" her voice almost deceived her. She almost felt it crack. But not this time. Now, she had to be strong for Emma, the Charmings, Henry, and this baby.

"Her vitals look good," the nurse assured her, as she pulled the curtain closed. "I'll give you guys a little privacy, okay? Someone will be back to check on her soon."

"Thank you."

And so Regina sat there with Emma. She wanted to talk to her, she really did, but she couldn't think of anything to say. She wouldn't apologize unless Emma was awake. So she just continued to sit there, not saying a word.

Nurses came, and nurses left, and all the while, Regina fixated on Emma's lips. She remembered how she had betrayed Emma, and herself, by kissing those luscious lips. All she could think about was the kiss they shared. Over and over. Regina thought she might get dizzy if she thought about it one more time, but then it played in her head again.

She had no idea what she was going to do when Emma woke up. How would she even begin to talk to her. She had no idea what she wanted to say, let alone what was appropriate to say.

What in the world was she going to do?

* * *

I'm so sorry it's taken so long for me to update. Life is a little crazy, but I'm gonna try to work harder to update more often (:


	18. Back to December

Regina, Henry, and the Charmings waited until it had been seven days to start worrying. Okay, so maybe they had all been panicking from the start, but the worry really started kicking in when seven days had passed and Emma was still asleep. The doctors had taken her off of the drugs used to keep her in a coma, however, poor Emma was still asleep.

So they all waited. And waited. But Emma did not wake up. Not the seventh day. Not the eighth day. Not the ninth day. Not the tenth day. And not for many days after that. In fact, it was now well into January of the new year, and Emma was still out.

Well, Emma slept through January, and now it was the middle of February. Every day was cold, and seasonal depression had taken it's toll on poor Regina. She hated the bleakness of the winter, and many days wondered why the curse placed them in Storybrooke. However, the weather was quite similar in the Enchanted Forest, so she really had no reason to complain, it just made her sad.

But what didn't make her sad these days? Emma was still sleeping in the hospital bed, Henry often stayed with David, Mary Margaret, and baby Neal, and work wasn't distracting her enough, but when it did, well, that made her sad, too. What kept her going was feeling the baby move inside of her. And seeing Henry when he stopped by to hug her or tell her he loved her.

Today, though, was very sad. She knew she should be happy; she was in the hospital doing some work, as she did most times she had an abundance of work to do, and Mary Margaret, Henry, and baby Neal were with her. Regina had long forgotten about the work she had to do - Mary Margaret had convinced her to help decorate Emma's room. This was the second time they had done this - the first was New Years Eve; they expected Emma to wake up the following day, but it was taken down when she didn't wake up four days later.

"Maybe she'll wake up," Mary Margaret told her with a sadness in her voice.

"Oh, yes, because decorating her hospital room will definitely make her want to jump out of her bed. Just like last time," Regina said bitterly, as she took the baby from Mary Margaret's arms.

"Regina, could you try to be a little positive. I know you miss her, we all do, but being negative isn't going to make her wake up any sooner."

Taking a breath, the mayor looked at Mary Margaret. David kept his word; he didn't say anything to his wife about what happened between Regina and Emma the night of the accident. But, then again, David didn't even know the whole truth because Regina was too ashamed to tell anyone what she had done. What made Emma run. What made Emma crash.

"Okay... I'm sorry. We can decorate if you want. I will help you... maybe by holding the baby for now," she said with a smile, looking down at baby Neal.

"Great, because I picked up some balloons from the store, and I got a helium tank."

"You realize if she does wake up today, she's going to be mad that you decorated for this holiday."

"She thinks it's stupid, I know. I just think it'll be nice if she had this to look at." Mary Margaret said, grabbing her keys. "I'll be right back; I have to run out to my car and get a few things."

Regina just shook her head. "You know, your mother means well, but she can be a little overbearing sometimes," she told the baby, rocking him gently on her own baby belly.

"Unlike you, right mom," Henry piped up, looking at Regina with a grin.

"I thought you had homework to do," she teased him.

"I do," he said, looking back at his laptop screen, and getting back to it.

Regina was so proud of her son for keeping up his grades, especially at a time like this. She hated that he had to go through this - not knowing whether Emma was going to wake up or not. She knew it was killing him, and not being with his other mother, because Regina spent most of her spare time in the hospital, must have been hard, too. Everyday she yearned to go home to her own bed, but something kept her there. Emma kept her there. She wouldn't have been able to sleep if she were home, wondering what was going on with Emma. Regina hated everything about this.

By the time Regina snapped out of her thoughts, Mary Margaret was back with everything she'd gotten from the store earlier, and she began setting up.

"Are you sure you don't mind keeping the baby tonight? We can bring him and Henry to dinner if you'd like."

"No, no... you and David go have a nice evening together. The boys and I will be fine here with Emma. I promise, we'll take good care of her," she smiled at the baby in her arms, and then over at her own son. Gosh, she couldn't have imagined she'd be this happy without Emma on Valentine's Day.

"Alright," Mary Margaret smiled with a shrug and then started blowing up balloons.

Later on that night, after the decorations had been finished, David took Mary Margaret out to dinner, and Regina fed their little prince Neal. She loved him so much, and she loved taking care of him. She couldn't wait to have her own little one to take care of, and she knew that even though it was Robin's biological child, she'd have a family in David and Mary Margaret, and hopefully even Emma, if she would wake up and forgive her for what happened on Christmas.

"Mom?"

Her thoughts were interrupted.

"What is it, dear?" she asked Henry, looking over at him with a smile.

"It's just that Neal's been drinking out of that empty bottle for like two minutes now and he's gonna have a lot of air bubbles... maybe you should burp him." Henry explained, before looking back down at his hand-held game.

Regina didn't even react, she just sighed heavily. Her own thoughts getting in the way again. She did what Henry suggested and burped him for quite some time. She got a few good air bubbles out of the poor kid, and then he started crying.

"Oh, honey, c'mon, let's go for a walk around the hospital... we'll get you back to sleep," Regina said in a sing-song like voice. She took the baby into her arms and held him close to her chest.

"Why don't you let me take him. You stay here with Mom."

The woman thought about it for a moment. "Okay, honey. But don't be too long. I don't want your grandparents to come back and have you and Neal wandering the hospital," she told him with a smirk.

"Okay. See you in a few minutes," he smiled, leaving with the infant.

Regina was once again left alone with her thoughts. She thought about how David and Mary Margaret's dinner was going. She thought about the pile of work she still had to go through for work tomorrow. She thought about how quickly Henry would come back with baby Neal. She thought about Emma forgiving her if she made it through.

If.

She'd never used that word in her head before. She had always said Emma would make it. She always thought Emma would wake up. Sure, she worried, especially when the first week had passed and she didn't wake up, but she'd never said to herself "if" before.

Regina went over to Emma's bed and grabbed her hand. It was warm, and Regina enjoyed the feeling of Emma's warmth in her own hand.

"Emma," she began saying. "Please wake up..."

She closed her eyes and forced herself to say when. "When you wake up, promise you'll forgive me," she pleaded with the sleeping woman. "Because I love you, Emma. I do. I know I didn't say it in so many words, but I love you with my whole heart. And you need to wake up. It's time."

Emma didn't wake up, though. She lay there sleeping.

And Regina only got up when a nurse came to take Emma's vitals.

Henry came back with Neal, and Mary Margaret and David returned not long after. Emma still slept, and Regina stared blankly at her paperwork.

"Are you alright?" David asked her softly, as he got ready to leave with his wife and the boys.

"Just peachy."

"Listen, I know tonight must've been hard for you, but you have to stay strong for Emma."

"For how long? Because I don't think I can do this anymore," Regina's voice broke, and her tears fell, and she felt so weak.

David gave her a comforting hug, and told her, "For as long as she needs us, Regina. She's going to pull through this and she's going to need you to be there for her. Do you think you can hold on a little longer?"

Regina nodded against him and finally, the two parted. "Good, because like it or not, you're part of the family, and we need you to be strong for our daughter."

"Okay," she nodded again, wiping her eyes.

"Okay. How long are you going to be here for?"

"I think I'll stay the night."

"Alright. Good night, then," David said with a soft smile, before leaving the room.

Regina sat back down to do some paper work, and as her eyes adjusted, she felt a yawn come on. She looked at the clock. It was almost ten? How did that happen? Sure, she knew Mary Margaret and David had been out for a while, but for that long? She shook her head, and then got back to what she was doing.

As Regina was falling asleep that night, in the chair in the hospital room, she held her stomach tightly, trying to think about what her baby might be like. Would this baby be strong willed like she was? Would the baby be like Robin Hood? Would Henry love the baby, even though it wasn't Emma's baby, as well? Would Emma want anything to do with the baby when it got here?

"Regina?" she heard the familiar voice, as she looked to the door for the nurse. But no one was there.

"What the hell?" Regina whispered to herself, confused out of her mind.

"Regina?" the voice said louder. Regina looked around the dark room again. Then it dawned on her.

"Emma?"

* * *

Sorry again for the slow updates. Sick kitties, appointments, & interviews galore! Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things soon (: I appreciate you all!


	19. How You Get The Girl

Regina moved as quickly as she could, with her six and a half month belly in the way, to Emma and grabbed her hand.

"Emma, you're awake!" Regina said, tears glistening in her eyes. She felt like she was going to cry, she was so ecstatic to see Emma's green eyes staring back at her.

"Regina... where am I?" Emma could barely speak in above a whisper, but she managed okay, for being in a coma for almost three months.

"Oh, honey, you're in the hospital." Should she have called her honey? It really didn't matter to Regina at a time like this, but at the same time, it sort of did, because she could not be rejected by Emma again. Not right now. "What do you remember?"

"I just remember being at your house and we were opening gifts... it's Christmas! Merry Christmas," Emma smiled up at Regina.

Regina did all she could not to cry, as she squeezed Emma's hand. "Thank you, but Christmas was over almost three months ago."

"What?"

"Don't panic, Emma. It's okay. You left my house, you got into a car accident, and you've been in the hospital ever since," Regina told her gently. She knew too much too soon might be harmful, but she needed Emma to know the truth.

"Regina! What are you talking about?" Emma asked, biting her lip. She was so scared, wondering what was going on, wondering how she got into this bed. And why couldn't she remember anything?

"Listen to me," the brunette said, pulling the rolling chair up from behind her so she could sit down. "You're okay now. You're okay. You're awake and I... I wondered today if you were ever going to wake up," she said with a sniffle. "But you're okay now. And I'm here for you. Your parents are here for you, Henry, baby Neal... we're all going to help you get better."

"Just tell me what happened. In detail."

"You... you left my house in a rush and it was snowing out pretty hard. You must've lost control of your car because the next thing I knew, Henry called and David was wondering where you were. I told him you'd left a while ago, and he went out looking for you. He found you and I met him at the hospital. Then, you had surgery because you had a brain injury... and you've been in a coma since then. It was Christmas when this happened, and today is Valentine's Day."

"Why would I have left if I knew the roads were bad?" Emma asked herself, before looking at Regina. Suddenly, the entire world came crashing down on her. Regina had kissed her and told her she had feelings for her. "Regina?"

Before Emma could say anything else, a nurse came in and found them talking.

"How long has she been awake?" she asked quickly, moving to Emma's bed to check her out.

"Just a few moments. I just heard her ask for me, and I couldn't believe she was awake," Regina explained.

"I need to page the doctor," she said, moving to the phone, but quickly returning and writing some things down in Emma's chart. "How are you feeling, Emma?"

Emma was speechless because of what happened just moments ago, for her. "Overwhelmed."

"That's certainly understandable. Do you remember what happened?"

The blonde just shook her head in amazement. She could not believe Regina was standing in front of her after what she did. She could not believe that Regina had kissed her or even admitted to having feelings for her. And the gall she had to be standing there, after months had gone by... Emma was just - Emma stopped.

Regina must really care for her.

It occurred to Emma that Regina's feelings were legitimate. They weren't a manipulation. They weren't temporary. They weren't some made up story. They were real, and they couldn't be turned off just like that. Regina must have been there most if not every single night since Emma got into the accident, and that meant something to Emma. Maybe she didn't want to admit that right now, but something inside of her changed. Something inside of her said it might be okay to see where this goes.

"I... what?"

"Do you remember what happened, before you woke up tonight? What's the last thing that you remember?" the nurse asked again, a little bit slower this time.

"I remember everything. I got into an accident... it was snowing. I drove off the road. It was a stupid accident. But now I'm awake and I want to know everything. Like, why was I asleep for so long? What happened when I was sleeping? Where are my parents? And Henry?" Emma asked, looking up at Regina, rather than looking at the nurse who was the one asking her the questions.

"Your parents-" Regina started, but was interrupted by the nurse.

"We will have all of that information for you, but first the doctor is going to come in. Ms. Mills, can I see you for a moment?" she said hastily.

"No! She can't go... I, I need her to stay here with me," Emma pleaded with the nurse, looking between her and Regina.

Regina nodded and said, "Don't worry, Emma, I'm not going anywhere. We can all wait for the doctor together."

The doctor came in moments later and did a full check up on Emma. Regina didn't leave her side. She couldn't believe that Emma had asked her to stay. She thought after everything that Emma would push her away and she would have to, once again, start all over.

Emma, on the other hand, thought maybe this accident could have been a good thing, despite the bandages, the hospital gown, and the bright light that the doctor kept flashing in front of her eyes. It had really made her realize what was important to her, and she was beginning to understand that Regina truly mattered.

Once the doctor and nurse were done, almost two hours had passed by, and they finally left Regina and Emma alone.

"Did you call my parents?"

"I did... they are coming down as soon as they can. And they're bringing Henry," Regina said with a smile.

"Oh, they don't have to come down until morning," Emma quipped. "Call them; I want them to know."

"Emma, they have been here almost every day waiting for you to wake up. You can't call them and tell them not to come. They love you so much, and they've missed you immensely. We all have," the brunette admitted.

Before Emma could react, Henry was racing in, with a huge smile on his face.

"Mom?"

"Henry!" Emma cried, before Henry was on the opposite side of Regina, hugging Emma tightly.

Regina couldn't have been more touched by the sight. She was so happy Emma was awake, and even happier now that her son was with them. Regina had waited for this for so long, and she couldn't have imagined it going any other way. Emma seemed to be upbeat with her, and acting like her normal self, honestly, which was one of the big concerns the doctors had spoken about. She was extremely relieved.

Mary Margaret was the next one to rush through the doors, and when she did, she began weeping, she was so happy to see her daughter with her eyes open. They sat together while Henry climbed onto Emma's gurney with her. Yes, he was fourteen now, but he wanted to be as close as he could to Emma.

When David came in, he had the baby, and set Neal down to hug his daughter. He sat next to his wife, opposite Regina, and the five of them chatted like it was one of the Charming-Swan-Mills get-togethers.

It was about three in the morning when the Charmings realized they needed to go get some sleep. They had been so happy to see Emma, that the few hours they had together seemed to go by too quickly. But, they would see her again tomorrow, and that's what they kept telling themselves.

"Would you mind if Henry stayed home from school tomorrow? I feel it might be best considering he's been up most of the night, but it's completely up to you," Mary Margaret explained to Regina.

"He certainly can stay home. He'll probably want to see Emma anyway, and then he has all winter break with her next week," Regina remembered with a smile. Storybrooke always let their students have a week off after Christmas, and then after Valentine's day, so it was coming up quickly. Regina was just happy that he'd get to spend it with Emma, as well, because she knew that he was missing her like crazy. Honestly, they all had missed her in a way that couldn't quite be explained, but it was because she was so important to them all.

"Great. I'll make sure we're back at a reasonable hour tomorrow," Mary Margaret gave Regina a hug and then picked up her son's carseat. She and Henry walked out after giving Emma another goodbye hug, and David smiled at Regina.

"Thank you for not giving up earlier, Regina. I know how tough this has been. But like I said, Emma needs you, and I think you need her, too... We'll talk tomorrow," he said, giving her a pat on the shoulder before leaving with his wife, son, and grandson.

Regina watched them leave, but Emma caught her attention once the door shut.

"Regina?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for staying with me. You could go home, you know," she said, looking away from her.

"I know. But I want to stay. I've been here every single day, and you think it was so I could leave when you woke up?" Regina shook her head.

"I don't know. You just seem exhausted, and I feel terrible that you've been here for such a long time. Don't these hospital walls get kinda... depressing?"

"Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that- never mind. I just think it's best if I stay. We can watch something, you can sleep, it doesn't matter."

Emma paused.

"It doesn't change the fact that you have feelings for me," she finally spoke, and Regina's eyes widened. "Isn't that what you were gonna say?"

"I... I guess so."

"Well, maybe I have feelings for you, too," Emma said, looking up at the woman in front of her.

"What?"

"I don't know, Regina. All this has kind of shown me who's going to stand by me, and who's not. And you obviously aren't going anywhere. And that... scares me, but it also makes me really, really happy."

"So, if I scare you, why would you want to be with me?"

Emma tilted her head to the side. "Weren't you listening? You make me happy."

Regina couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You make me happy, too. And I guess that scares me, as well. Are you sure you want to... get involved with someone like me? Because if you don't, I completely-"

"Regina! Stop! I want happiness. And I think that what we have, our friendship... it makes me happy. And I want more. I want something else. I want to be your friend, but I also want to be more," Emma explained the best she could.

"I do, too."

"Good. So, tell me, once I get out of the hospital, how would you feel about going on a date with me?"

"I think that could be arranged," Regina nodded excitedly.

* * *

So, we're finally going to see Emma & Regina go on a date - what do you think will happen? Let me know (:


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